Fire
by freyja903
Summary: Recalling her only human memory, Jane reveals an insight into her soul. "Honorable Mention" at Twilight Archive's Jane One-Shot Challenge! :


**Disclaimer: **The Twilight characters aren't mine. I just borrowed them from Stephenie Meyer to play with.

This story was written for Twilight Archive's Jane One-Shot Challenge, where it won a "Honorable Mention". :)

Thanks a lot to Melanie for the great beta job!

Feedback/constructive criticism is very much appreciated! :)

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**Fire  
**_  
_

I'm not sadistic.

I know I appear to be – but I wouldn't call it that, although, honestly, I really enjoy what I do.

But don't we all, in a way, enjoy the purpose we have in our lives?

Still, I understand the average vampire who regard Alec and me as particularly, well, _qualified_ for this life. In fact, they have plenty of names for us to reflect that: "witch twins" being one of them.  
They have no idea how right they are with that one, considering our family history.

I don't remember much from my human life though, nor do I really know who I once was.  
All I know is what Aro told me, a few years after he had changed us. We had had a pretty intense fight among the guard that I had started, my temper not yet completely in control at that point. I don't want to describe the details, let's just say it had a nasty outcome - in Alec's and my favor, so to say.

Aro was fuming as soon as he learned about it, seeing as it had been one of his very talented bodyguards that we had literally taken apart.  
But he was already too fond of us to carry out an appropriate punishment. He just yelled at us - reminding us of how he had rescued us from our miserable life in which we would have ended up dead much sooner than later.

He was furious, describing details of our childhood and how he had discovered us one day, since then observing our development as he knew we were _special_.  
And to be honest, he almost managed to hurt my feelings. Only almost though, considering I had already forgotten nearly all my human memories already. It just felt like another story from his large collection of tales and legends.

And in fact, I didn't care. I didn't want to remember anything and I still don't - I'm a vampire after all, memories of my mortal life aren't of much use to me.

Well, except one. There is one human memory I have left - it is the one I need to be what I am. One memory which I can always recall in detail - the memory that has become my weapon, the source of my power: the last minutes of the life of the woman who had given birth to us.

According to Aro, our mother had raised me and Alec with what humans call love and commitment. I don't really remember how I felt about her, though watching her die was the most impressive experience I have had in my life.

As her children, we were forced to be present during her execution – as an educational experience, so to speak.

It was quite an event actually, practically the whole village had gathered to see it. Alec and I were supposed to sit next to the prosecutors, where two henchmen of the local inquisition tribunal forced us to open our eyes, making us take in every second of the bizarre scene that was taking place in front of us.

What I saw and heard then was instantly engraved in my mind – single images following each other in a sequence of terror:

My mother's cries, begging for us to be taken away from the place.

Her being forced to walk up to the stake, dragged and pushed because she wasn't able to walk on her own anymore.

A big, hairy man tying her up to the stake with his abnormally large hands.

The rustling of the small bundles of sticks and straw he put between her legs, under her arms and behind her back.

Her distorted face when she looked around at the audience.

The smell of the pitch-covered torches when they were ignited.

The crackle of the flames when the fire began to consume the stake, and my mother's screams of agonywhen the fire finally reached her calves, yellow and orange tongues licking at her skin.

The scornful looks of her executioners and more screaming when the small bundles close to her body started burning.

And then, suddenly, the silence. Everything, everyone was awkwardly quiet, the only sound being the crackle of the fire that grew louder in unison with the rising of the unbearable heat.

After that, all that I sensed was the hate that slowly spread through my body, extinguishing all other feelings I had ever known.

The hatred was numbing me as I stared at the stake; it entered every thought and fiber of my being, overwhelming my existence.

It was then and there that I discovered my talent, still human and vulnerable and barely old enough to be seen as anything but a child.

The man who had held me down suddenly let go of me, yelling in pain and staring from me to his hands and back again, horrified.  
I felt a mocking smile appear on my lips, the hate making me feel like a brightly burning flame. And apparently, the flame had burnt the man where he had touched me, although his skin showed no sign of it.

After that, it only took the people seconds to grab us, dragging us away from the scene.

It was the first time I heard someone call us "witch twins"; we were officially spawn of the devil. They locked us up in a cage outside the church, after I had finally given up my resistance and stopped hurting people.

It felt good, it was a relief – but I was still loyal to my brother; I wouldn't leave him alone.

That night, Aro found us and it wasn't long before he made us a part of his growing family.

I loved my new life from the first moment on. Even the change itself – three days of immense pain everyone of our kind has to go through – didn't strike me as much as it does others.

This internal fire that consumed the living part of my existence only made me stronger. I welcomed it – realizing it would give me yet another source to could draw my strength from.

Ever since then I have been a member of the Volturi's inner circle, my extraordinary talent always being of great use to follow our goals.

And with every new creature I put through the illusion of pain – vampires as well as humans and animals - I slowly realized that this was what I was always supposed to do, that this was my only purpose.  
I became fully aware of the obvious: that the essence of my being, my whole existence is based on the most destructive of all elements - fire.

So, no, I'm not sadistic.

I'm just revealing who I am.


End file.
